10% of community pubs lost last year
Britain lost 10% of its community pubs last year as the cost of running the average pub spiraled to 52% of turnover.
A major new study of 2,500 outlets by the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) revealed that much loved community pubs are facing a bleak winter drowning in a sea of red tape that is adding to unsustainable costs, threatening business viability and endangering jobs.
Overall, the managed market is down 2% on last year with the only areas of growth being wine bars and outlets with accommodation.
The results, and a series of proposals to halt the slide, are being presented as a Valentines Day message to MPs at the start of Camra's Community Pubs Week and ahead of the Budget.
The proposals are:• A freeze on beer duty to offset the rising costs of doing business.• Reform of the licensing regime to strip out unnecessary costs and burdens.• Further reform of Capital Gains Tax.• Increase the exemption thresholds for stamp duty land tax, rate relief and other small business exemptions.• No new stealth taxes on beds, eating out or road pricing.
Support
"We want a clear message sent to politicians of all parties - these are pubs are vital to healthy, safe and attractive communities," said ALMR chief executive Nick Bish.
"They deserve to be supported and encouraged, not suffocated by red tape and driven out of business by spiralling costs.
"Failure to act now will see the steady decline in community pub numbers transformed from a trickle to a flood."
Bish added: "The Government claims to be the champion of small business and better regulation, but its record on delivering meaningful support and more particularly the changes that businesses, rather than politicians, want and need is woefully inadequate.
"We hope the Chancellor takes this opportunity to listen and do something which would make a practical difference on the ground - that way we may all have something to cheer on Budget day."
